Wiring woes...

First off, my car is a 87 Lxi sedan and I have some frustrating electrical problems. I'll start with the headlight, since it can get me pulled over:

My left (drivers) side low beam is not getting power. Ive done a bit of poking around with a test light and found that the fuse is good and is getting power so that rules out the possibility of the switch failing. I am hoping someone can tell me where the power wire is routed before I start arbitrarily tearing into the wiring harness.

My other problems are less serious but annoying nonetheless:

My Kenwood CD player turns on and off intermittently, though it still gets some power because I can remove a CD and the security light blinks when it decides to turn off. Ive run a dedicated ground to the radio.

My horn either doesn't work or is pathetically weak. Sometimes when I lay on the horn for a while my radio turns back on. Ive cleaned the contacts to no avail...

My temperature gauge bounces up and down like its on crack, when I smack the side of the gauge pod it goes back to normal for a bit.

I need to know what wire to cut to get VTEC because my car is teh slow....


Thanks in advance for your advice,

-Hec

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Originally Posted by Hecubus84

First off, my car is a 87 Lxi sedan and I have some frustrating electrical problems. I'll start with the headlight, since it can get me pulled over:
My left (drivers) side low beam is not getting power. Ive done a bit of poking around with a test light and found that the fuse is good and is getting power so that rules out the possibility of the switch failing. I am hoping someone can tell me where the power wire is routed before I start arbitrarily tearing into the wiring harness.

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Unplug the connection at the headlight, clean and reconnect.

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Originally Posted by Hecubus84

My other problems are less serious but annoying nonetheless:
My Kenwood CD player turns on and off intermittently, though it still gets some power because I can remove a CD and the security light blinks when it decides to turn off. Ive run a dedicated ground to the radio.

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The supply to the radio is wired unswitched to the battery. There is a signal from the ignition switch that controls it. Your problem sounds like it is with the ignition switch, as it was on mine.

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Originally Posted by Hecubus84

My horn either doesn't work or is pathetically weak. Sometimes when I lay on the horn for a while my radio turns back on. Ive cleaned the contacts to no avail...

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There is a contact box behind the steering wheel that contains brushes and contact rings. When these brushes wear out, horn or cruise control will not work. Try spinning your wheel while holding the horn button. If it goes on and off, it is the contact box.

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Originally Posted by Hecubus84

My temperature gauge bounces up and down like its on crack, when I smack the side of the gauge pod it goes back to normal for a bit.

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Probably a connection on the back of the cluster, that plugs behind the fuel/temp gauges, unplug and clean connections.

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Originally Posted by Hecubus84

I need to know what wire to cut to get VTEC because my car is teh slow....

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You're joking, right?

lol @ teh vtec

my low beam went out on my drivers side light but the high still worked..i just went and replaced the whole light..its isnt all that expensive

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hecubus84

First off, my car is a 87 Lxi sedan and I have some frustrating electrical problems. I'll start with the headlight, since it can get me pulled over:
My left (drivers) side low beam is not getting power. Ive done a bit of poking around with a test light and found that the fuse is good and is getting power so that rules out the possibility of the switch failing. I am hoping someone can tell me where the power wire is routed before I start arbitrarily tearing into the wiring harness.

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Probably one of the wires got broken. you have no choice but open the wiring harness and find the problem.

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My other problems are less serious but annoying nonetheless:
My Kenwood CD player turns on and off intermittently, though it still gets some power because I can remove a CD and the security light blinks when it decides to turn off. Ive run a dedicated ground to the radio.

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I have to agree, you may have to replace the ignition switch.

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My horn either doesn't work or is pathetically weak. Sometimes when I lay on the horn for a while my radio turns back on. Ive cleaned the contacts to no avail...

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you may as well replace the whole steering control box.

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My temperature gauge bounces up and down like its on crack, when I smack the side of the gauge pod it goes back to normal for a bit.

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check the plug on the back of the temp gauge. if that doesn't fix it, replace the gauge cluster with another one (to keep original miles speedo you can just transfer over to a new gauge claster).

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I need to know what wire to cut to get VTEC because my car is teh slow....
Thanks in advance for your advice,
-Hec

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:lol: we don't have Vtec. you are stuck with slow car. :lol:

yup replace BOTH bulbs at the same time or you will have one that is all new and bright and the other one that is low and dim...also check your wires...i know you said you did but double check them mine were striped because the guys that fixed the front end crash did not route the wires the same way and from like 10,000 times opening and closing the wires rubbed and started to short each other out....oh yeah also check the fuse under the dash for the low beam.